


Blue Christmas (McDanno's Twins // Season 1, Episode 3)

by OTP_Obsessed



Series: Hawaii Five-O: 'At-Home' Mini-Series (McDanno's Twins) [3]
Category: Hawaii (TV), Hawaii Five-0 (2010), McDanno - Fandom
Genre: 12 Days of McDanno Christmas, Alternate Universe, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forehead Kisses, Happy little family, Heavy - Freeform, Holidays, Hurt Steve, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Idiots in Love, Love, M/M, OMG THIS TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE I HOPE YOU LIKE IT, Protective Danny, Romance, Same-Sex Marriage, Schmoop, Sweet, Writer's Block, enjoy, mcdanno, this is to cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:28:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25598845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTP_Obsessed/pseuds/OTP_Obsessed
Summary: It's Christmas and Danny has found a new sense of wonder around the holidays, all thanks to Steve and the Twins. And, doesn't even mind spending the holiday chasing bad guys because he knows what's waiting at home for him. However, when their current suspect goes on the run in the rain forest, and avoids capture by falling off a cliff, taking Steve with her, Danny struggles to keep his holiday spirit when he has to spend Christmas in the hospital because Steve winds up in a coma.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Series: Hawaii Five-O: 'At-Home' Mini-Series (McDanno's Twins) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1841155
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Blue Christmas (McDanno's Twins // Season 1, Episode 3)

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this took so long to write. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> ** NOTE: This work has been updated slightly but the majority of the original story still remains. :-) **
> 
> SHOUT OUT TO: You who gives me such wonderful suggestions to improve my stories for the better! You know who you are and I appreciate what you do. That is especially certain for this work in general!

DECEMBER 22

It had now been five months since Tina first allowed the Twins to be a constant factor in Steve and Danny's life. And, though they'd only, legally, been their dads for less than a month, the partners had already grown accustom to having the two little red-haired treasures in their daily routines that waking up before sunrise was no longer a chore and, instead, it was now something they raced to do. Every morning, Steve wondered how Danny continued to win the race, even though he had set his alarm earlier than his the night before. And, every morning--this one being no different--Danny would say, "I've already done this before, you never have. It's going to take a while for you to beat me out, Babe," before kissing Steve, smugly, and making his way downstairs. Steve wasn't sure if his SEAL training would ever be able to best Danny's years of fatherhood. But, he was destined to keep trying, even if that meant he had to collect a million of Danny's dismissive kisses first.

Danny, proudly, made his way downstairs, and stopped when he saw the picture-perfect setup of the Christmas array, tree, and gifts that decorated the entirety of the first-floor. Thanks to Steve's Thanksgiving surprise, a few weeks back, this time around, Danny's holiday spirit was much easier to grasp onto. And, even though he knew they had to work today, it was no longer a struggle for him to find the energy to form a genuine smile, as he tilted his head to examine the holiday decor. "Steve!" he called out, eyeballing the Christmas tree. "Steven!"

A moment later, Steve appeared at the top of the stairs. He leaned over the balcony, rubbing, the weariness from his eyes. "What?! What's wrong?!" he panicked through a yawn.

"You think the tree could use some more tinsel?" Danny asked, casually, looking up to Steve.

Steve scowled at Danny. "Seriously?!" Steve whispered, sternly. He would have yelled but he was trying to keep the kids asleep. He gestured to Danny, spitefully, and said, "You called me out here for tinsel? I thought something was wrong."

"Something is wrong," Danny whispered back, sharply, gesturing to the tree. "The tree needs more tinsel."

Steve glared at Danny, for a long while. Glad that Danny now liked the holidays, part of Steve, also, was kicking himself for creating this side of Danny and wished that he had just left well enough alone--at least until the sun had finished coming up first. Steve rolled his eyes. "You're unbelievable. I'm going back to bed," he sighed, turning his back to Danny.

When Steve disappeared into the bedroom, Danny whispered up to him, "You don't have to help. Just tell me if there's any tinsel left in the closet, Steven." After a second of no response, Danny leaned against the railing and called out again, "Steven?!" Steve shut the door, ignoring him. Danny scoffed. "Fine ignore me," he sighed, adjusting the garland wrapped around the railing. "But you don't need to be all Scrooge McGarrett about it."

**********

An few hours later, Steve and Danny found themselves in the Ewa Forest Reserve, on the hunt for Selena Greene. Wanted for drug trafficking, homicide, solicitation, and kidnapping--in six states--Selena had been off-the-grid for the last three years. That was, until her DNA was found in Five-O's most recent homicide case. When Chin and Kono went to interrogate her, Selena evaded them through a gun war and fistfight, until she took off in her car. Though she believed she had bested them, the team was able to track her vehicle and found it stashed at the edge of the Ewa Reserves. When the team patrolled the area, they discovered a tent, multiple bags of clothes, and a recently used firepit. They concluded the Selena had been using this spot to hide out and only used the house as an occasional spot to meet her clients. So, while the rest of Five-O stayed back to secure the perimeter, and gather evidence, Danny and Steve searched the forest for Selena.

And, by the pile of broken branches at their feet and the deep indentations of a third set of footprints in the soil, Steve knew Selena couldn't be more than a few minutes away from them. Steve froze and put his gloved hand to his lip, alerting Danny they'd found her. Danny delayed his conversation and his eyes widened. Steve raised his weapon in the air and nodded to Danny. Danny nodded back, raising his weapon, and the pair continued on, in stealth mode.

A few feet further and Steve put a hand out in front of Danny. Danny hated when Steve did that; but he knew that it almost always meant danger was waiting for them. "What's wrong?" Danny whispered, checking his surroundings.

Steve raised another silencing finger to his lips and asked, softly, "Did you hear that?"

Danny listened. But there was nothing. He leaned back into Steve and whispered, "Hear what?"

Steve listened again. "I thought I heard breathing," he said, shaking his head. After waiting to hear it again but resulting in silence, Steve shook his head and said, "Never mind, let's move."

But, just as they went to take a step forward, Selena Greene jumped out from the bushes, struck Danny in the back of the head with a large rock, and fled into the trees. Danny collapsed to his knees, groaning out in pain. Immediately, Steve launched himself towards his fallen partner. "Hey, Danny!" he cried out, sliding to his knees. He put his hand behind Steve's neck and his heart pounded out of his chest when he saw fresh blood on the ground under his best friend. Steve frowned and shook Danny, gently but desperately. "Hey, Danny. You alright?"

Within seconds, Danny's eyes were open again and he groaned, painfully, nursing the back of his head. Steve's heart went back to normal and he held out a hand for Danny. Danny clasped onto Steve's hand and sat up, slowly. "Ah, man, we gotta go after that bitch, Steve," Danny commanded, as the pair stood up.

"Forget her, Danny," Steve urged. "You need a hospital."

Danny shook his head, "I'm fine." Then, closed his eyes and keeled over against a tree, cradling his nauseated stomach. He took deep, long breaths, trying to ease the swooshing in his head.

"You're not," Steve demanded, eyeing Danny's trembling hands.

"I am," Danny demanded, louder, kneeling beside the tree. "Just give me two minutes. She wont get far in this forest."

"I don't know about this," Steve sighed, kneeling down to examine Danny's wound. He rubbed Danny's back, trying to take some of his pain away, and said, "That's pretty deep. You're gonna need stitches, Danny."

"Later," Danny nodded, firmly, rising back to his feet. Steve kept a supportive hand on him until he was certain Danny could stand alone. Though, even then, he didn't want to let go but, knew this was a losing battle and dropped his hand anyway. "For now, we catch Selena and bring her in," Danny said, courageously.

And, even though he wanted nothing more than to fly Danny to safety, regardless if that meant letting their suspect go free, Steve could see a little bit of his SEAL training had rubbed off on Danny. He flashed a quick smile, then, fell back into a serious gaze and nodded. "After you," he said, sternly--and, honestly, bit proud--gesturing in the direction Selena had gone.

*********

It wasn't long before the couple had tracked Selena's footprints again, leading the top of one of the forests waterfalls and disappearing at the cliffs edge. But Steve knew she didn't jump off. "She's way to proud for that," he told Danny, softly, raising his gun in the air. Danny raised his, too, and Steve gestured for them to split up.

Determined to not let her slip away a third time, the pair remained on high alert. And even though his head was still throbbing, Danny was ready for anything Selena had to throw at him. Except, now, she had shifted her focus to a different victim: Steve.

While his back was turned, Selena jumped down from the tree she had been hiding in and clung to Steve's back, jamming a stone knife into his right shoulder blade. Steve yelled out in pain, from the burn of the stone tearing through his flesh, but still managed to reach his arms behind his back, seize Selena by the waist, and heave her over his head, body-slamming her to the ground, pulling his gun strap off with her.

As his weapon fell to the ground, Steve jammed his knee into Selena's back, and struck her face four times before Danny reappeared, from hearing Steve's cries for help, and called out, frantically, holding his weapon in the air, "Steve, you alright?!"

Steve pulled Selena to her feet and went for his gun, but the fierce woman got to it first. "Fine," Steve breathed, reassuringly, fighting to keep his weapon away from Selena. "Just take a shot."

Danny aimed his weapon but the still-developing unbearable pounding in his head caused his vision to fade in and out of focus, making it almost impossible to take the shot. The unsteady images of the fist fight, in front of him, nauseated his stomach and made his knees and hands trembled. Danny took deep breaths, trying to to steady himself, and he took the shot, hitting Selena in the shoulder. She groaned in pain, stumbling towards the edge of the waterfall. Danny fired again, sending another bullet into Selena's shoulder.

Selena jolted back, again, completely losing her footing. She slipped off the side of the cliff, pulling Steve down with her, and hung over the edge. "Danny!" Steve called out, terrified, as Selena clung from his neck.

"Steve!" Danny panicked, wide-eyed, throwing his gun to the ground. He ran to Steve's side, reaching out to grab him. But, just before Danny could take hold of Steve's feet, Selena yanked against Steve's neck, pulling them off the cliff. "No, Steven!" Danny yelled, feeling his heart race, as he watched the two bodies plunge down towards the falls. He cringed, disappointingly, watching Selena's body disappearing beneath the waves, and felt the nausea in his stomach return when Steve's body slammed against the waterfall's stone perch. "Babe?!" Danny called out, again, leaning over the edge of the cliff.

His heart stopped when there was no answer from Steve's lifeless body.

*********

The ER doctor attempted to stitch up Danny's neck but he pulled away. Leaning his head against a bag of ice, Danny stared, blankly, at the wall behind the doctor, running the events of the last few hours in his head. He couldn't stop thinking what life would be like if Steve didn't make it home. But, what Danny hated more is that the doctor's were holding him in the ER, instead of letting be in the OR with Steve. Danny winced, pulling away again, as the doctor tried, once more, to stitch up the wound in his neck. "Detective Williams, I can't fix this if you keep pulling away from me," the ER doctor sighed, leaning back on his stool.

"Maybe I don't want you to fix it," Danny sassed, leaning against his ice pack. "Ever think about that?"

"Danny..." Chin sighed, placing a comforting hand on Danny's shoulder. "...I know you're worried about Steve. We all are. But, could you let the man do his job?"

"You know, technically, I have seniority over you," Danny hassled. "I could order you to leave me alone."

"Yeah, but you won't," Chin chuckled, crossing his arms. "Besides, you and I both know that Steve would be furious if I didn't see that you were taken care of. So, can you please just let the doctor fix you up so we can go check on Steve?"

Danny pondered this for a moment. Then, rolled his eyes. "Fine," he sighed, leaning back toward the doctor. "Just be quick about it. I have a lot on my mind."

"Yes, sir," the doctor smiled, playfully, returning to stitch up Danny's neck.

While the doctor went to work, Danny's face was grimaced and his eyes continued to dart to the clock on the wall. Ever second that passed, without news on Steve, felt as though time had been slowed and that the hands on the clocks face were moving backwards. Or had just stopped all together. He let out a heavy sigh and turned his saddened eyes to the floor. Chin sympathized with his friends sorrow. Though he knew he could never understand the bond Danny and Steve shared, the thought of not having McGarrett around didn't sit right with him either. Once the doctor had gotten a few stitches in, and Danny had surrendered to the aid, Chin grabbed a nearby chair and sat down beside Danny. "I had Kono check up on that family you saw on Thanksgiving," he said, softly trying to distract Danny. He peered up to the clock and frowned; Maybe he was trying to distract himself a little bit too. 

"Did she find anything?"

"So far, only that they arrived on the island a month ago," Chin sighed, shaking his head. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Looks like they moved here from the mainland but not a lot to go on yet. I'll have her keep tabs on them though."

"Thanks, buddy," Danny said over his shoulder. He bumped Chin's leg with the side of his fist and flashed a thankful smile.

"No, problem," Chin smiled. Then, as the doctor went to bandage up Danny's injury, he remembered something he had meant to tell Danny when they first arrived. "Oh by the way," he announced, patting Danny's shoulder, "Lou and Renee called a little while ago. They said that they will babysit the twins as long as you need them to. Just focus on bringing Steve home safe."

"Believe me, I am," Danny frowned, looking to his hospital bracelet. Seeing WILLIAMS-McGARRETT come before his first name made his eyes swell up, remembering the massive fight they had had about whose name would go first and whether or not they would use them professionally. Danny was so proud to be a McGarrett--even if he did only use the hyphenated version legally--that now he never wanted to go back to being just 'Daniel Williams.' His chest tightened, as he struggled to fill his mind with the positives. But, the thought of Steve not coming home safely suffocated him. He completely ignored the lump building at the back of his throat and let out a long, heavy sigh, darting his eyes back to the clock on the wall. 

His eyes had fogged up and distorted the clock's face, so he could no longer tell how long they'd been here even if he wanted to. But, even though he couldn't tell if time had stopped or gone backward, he did know that, if he couldn't be a 'McGarrett' anymore, then he didn't want to be anything at all. 

*********

The doctor's ordered Danny to an overnight stay, to make sure there was no permanent damage from his injury. After Danny was finished being stitched up, Chin got a call that put him on duty. He told Danny he could stay, until they had gotten further updates on Steve, but Danny made him go because Five-O still needed to save the island. Chin laughed and promised Danny he'd stop by a little later.

When they brought Danny to his room, he asked for updates on Steve. "They're still running tests but as soon as we know something you'll know something," the nurse smiled, guiding Danny to his bed. "For now, you should get some rest." 

Danny shook his head. "No thanks, Jackie. I'm fine." 

"That wasn't a question," Jackie sassed, crossing her arms and gesturing her head towards the bed. 

Danny sighed and, hesitantly, laid back against the pillow, shutting his eyes. And, as soon as he heard Jackie shut the door behind her, Danny opened his eyes back up again. he was in too much pain to focus on sleep right now.

As much as the medication the doctors gave him had numbed the physical pain of being struck by Selena they did nothing to take away the mental ache he felt of not knowing what was happening to Steve. And the empty bed beside him--which is where Steve was supposed to be--was not helping ease his concerns either. Danny waited a few moments, to make sure Jackie was not going to return, then, he sat up on the bed. He grabbed his phone from his bag of belongings and scrolled through his photo gallery, trying to pass the time while he waited for news on Steve.

And he must have grown tired of waiting--either that or the pain meds had really kicked in-- because, an hour later, Danny had fallen asleep with his phone on his chest, still open to his photo gallery. He was snoring, loudly, until the sound of the door clicking open startled him awake. Danny jerked his eyes open and wiped the drivel, from the corner of his mouth, and sat up on the bed. He placed his phone on the table beside his bed and tilted his head, as if to peer around the corner. He couldn't see who was coming in but he, smiled, brightly, hoping to see Steve smiling back at him. But, what he got, instead, made the nausea in his stomach return and the pounding of his heart uncontrollable.

It was Steve, but, he wasn't smiling. Both his eyes were shut and his right eye was so swollen and bruised it looked as though that was the side favored by Muhammad Ali. He had a tan, elastic bandage wrapped around his forehead, holding a separate white bandage in place beside his right eye. The nubs of an oxygen cannula were rested into his nose, connected to the remaining tubing that wrapped around his ears and tightened around the bottom of his chin. Thin, white pieces of tape bandaged together the few cuts on his bottom lip, while a white and blue plastic neck brace supported his neck. His left arm, which was loaded with IVs and wires, was stuck straight out at his side, rested on top of a pillow. The right side of his gown had been pulled down, exposing a bandage around the wound Selena had given him, and had been placed inside a blue sling, which was elevated on a pillow against his chest. Danny sat up, attentively, while he watched the incoming medical team maneuver Steve's bed beside his own, exchanging it for the empty one.

Then, the medical team attached all of Steve's loose hanging wires to their corresponding machines and activated their signals. The chorus of machines echoed off the walls and Danny locked his eyes on Steve's inanimate body. Once the team had set everything up, they went to leave the room, completely ignoring Danny's presence. But, he made sure to make himself known gaining the attention of one of the last girls before she could leave the room. "Excuse me? Do you have any updates on his condition?" Danny asked, softly.

The young girl, who couldn't be more than fifteen, stopped in her tracks and met Danny's eyes. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I don't really know anything," she said, timidly. "They only called me down to help transfer him. I'm still new." The young girl pointed to her green 'TRAINEE' tag, hanging over her name tag and smiled, apologetically. She looked to Steve, then, back to Danny and frowned when she saw the agony in his eyes. "Would you like me to find Dr. Travis for you?" she asked, sympathetically. 

Danny frowned and shook his head. "That's okay. Thanks." 

The young girl gave a hopeful smile to Danny then followed the rest of her team into the hallway. When she had disappeared behind their closed door, Danny turned his attention back to Steve. He watched Steve sleep, for a moment, as an overwhelming amount of regret fell over him. Listening to the electronic rhythm of Steve's heart made Danny wish he had just let Steve go after Selena instead of trying to chase her with a concussion. Steve could have handled her himself and, maybe--just maybe--if Danny had sat this one out, he would be sitting at home watching some sappy, cut-and-pasted Hallmark Christmas movie, cuddled on the couch with Steve, drinking hot cocoa while the Twins slept on the floor at their feet. But, instead, he was dressed in an unflattering hospital gown, laying on an uncomfortable single bed, wondering if Steve was even going to make it home for Christmas. Or if he would make it home at all.

Danny sighed and gazed longingly at Steve, until the door behind him opened again. This time, Danny didn't bother to see who was coming in and kept his eyes locked on his partner. Then, a doctor--Dr. Travis--appeared in front of the beds and greeted Danny with a smile. "Hello Detective," he said, reading over a chart in his hands. "Sorry to keep you waiting. You wouldn't believe how nuts things get around here during the holidays."

"Look, Doc, I know you're trying to be all jolly and everything but I just want to know what's going on with Steve," Danny sassed, sitting up on the bed. 

"Would you like the good news, or the bad news?" Dr. Travis asked, tucking the chart under his arm. Danny glared at him, frigidly. Dr. Travis nodded and sighed, softly. Then, sat on the bed beside Danny, placing the chart underneath his leg. "As you know, Steve sustained quite a bit of injuries from the fall," he informed, gesturing to Steve. "The good news is that none of those injuries caused any trauma to his brain, which means that he should recover from this within a few days." 

"So...the bad news?" Danny asked, reluctantly. 

"The bad news would be the treatments we're giving him from the injuries he did sustain," Dr. Travis, sighed, apprehensively. "Thankfully the injury he received before the fall only required a few stitches. But, our scans of his other injuries show that the fall resulted in a grade two neck sprain, which will have to be stabilized for a few weeks while it heals. He, also, had a minor head contusion above his right eye that required a few stitches and caused his eye to swell up a bit. Unfortunately, that can only be reduced with ice and rest but you should be able to take care of that at home. He, also, sustained small fractures to two of his ribs, which we've supported with KT tape to help with the pain, but those will have to heal on their own. Also, there was a slight sprain of his left wrist and dislocation of his left shoulder, both of which should be supported by the sling for the next few weeks." Dr. Travis turned towards Steve and crossed his arms. "We've got him on some pretty strong meds right now to help with his pain but he's going to be hurting for a while," he continued, shrugging his shoulders. 

Danny looked back to Steve and watched the beat of his heart bounce rhythmically on the heart monitor, for a moment, then, turned back to the doctor and sighed. "So, what does that mean? Do we just sit here and wait for him to wake up?"

"I'm afraid so," Dr. Travis frowned. He patted Danny's back then smiled, sympathetically, and said, "Just give him time, he'll come around. He knows what's waiting for him."

Danny smiled, even though he wanted to cry, and nodded. "Thanks, Doc."

"Of course. If you need anything, you let us know. Five-O is Ohana around here," Travis said, rising from the bed, holding out a hand for Danny. Danny shook the doctor's extended hand and nodded. Travis gave him one more comforting pat on the shoulder, then, left the room, shutting the door behind him.

When the doctor was gone, Danny turned back to Steve and frowned. He hadn't heard Steve's voice for over four hours and now he would give anything to just hear Steve say anything. Like, yelling at Danny for waking him up about the tinsel this morning. Or, to even have him start a cargument about the clashing outfit Danny had picked out for the Twins. At this point, anything Steve said to him would sound like music. 

Although, what Danny missed more than hearing Steve talk was being able to hold him. But, with the condition that Steve was in--and feeling that it was his fault Steve was in this condition in the first place--Danny wasn't sure he even wanted to hold Steve, right now. He didn't want to hurt him again. But, not even being allowed the option, since their beds had been placed too far apart, only made Danny want to get to Steve more and overpowered all his self-doubts. 

Danny slid off his own bed and moved over to Steve's bedside. Carefully, he lowered the safety bar of Steve's bed, making sure not to pinch any wires or tubes. Then, he climb in the bed beside Steve, pulling the safety bar back up to support him, and, hesitantly, laid beside the comatose Steve. Danny examined all of Steve's bumps and bruises before his eyes caught sight of Steve's bracelet. Reading 'WILLIAMS-McGARRETT, STEVEN' made Danny's cold heart suddenly go warm. He smiled, a tiny smile, and finally cuddled into Steve's side, giving a soft kiss to Steve's cheek, breaking the four hour void. He placed his braceletted hand on top of Steve's and locked their fingers together before laying his head on Steve's chest.

Danny closed his eyes and smiled, a bit brighter, finding it much easier to fall asleep now that he had the familiar rhythm of Steve's natural heartbeat to sooth him.

******

DECEMBER 23

Bright and early, Dr. Travis gave Danny the okay to go home. But, since Steve had still not yet woken up from his drug-induced coma, Danny refused to leave his side. Even when Chin called and offered to come pick him up and take him home, Danny would not leave the hospital until he was sure Steve was coming home with him. Danny thanked Chin for his offer, then, after hanging up the call, he pulled up a chair and sat at Steve's bedside, locking their fingers together. "Please wake up, Steven," Danny pleaded, softly, caressing the side of Steve's hand with his thumb. He rested his head on the safety bar and and watched Steve, protectively, fiddling with his wedding ring. Danny had lost track of how long Steve had been asleep but was begin to fear that he would never wake up. "Steve? Come on," he begged, again, softly, squeezing Steve's hand in his. His voice struggled to hold back his tears, fearful he had lost his best friend forever.

Over the next two hours, Dr. Travis continued to encourage Danny that Steve would eventually wake up on his own, once his body had recovered from the trauma a bit more. He just needed time. But, Danny had seen Steve recover a lot faster in the past, from worse hardships than this--Steve has half his liver for Christ sake--so nothing Dr. Travis said changed his mind that this time was unrecoverable; he wasn't there, he didn't see Steve fall. No one--not even a trained Navy SEAL--would be okay after that. Danny was sure that. He knew that, even if Steve did wake up, he probably wouldn't be the same person anymore. And the thought of having Steve alive but losing his personality to a traumatic injury-- that could have been avoided if he'd just sat out--made Danny's heart burn and the lump in his throat grow bigger. He pulled away from Steve and buried his face into the palms of his hands, dejected.

A few minutes later, Steve, slowly, opened his eyes and turned toward Danny. "Hey," he said, faintly. "Why'd you stop holding my hand?"

Danny looked up from his hands, wide-eyed. "Steve?" he breathed, off-guard, meeting Steve's eyes. Then, he grabbed Steve's waiting hand and squeezed it tight. "Steven?! Oh, thank God, you're back," he smiled, closing his eyes and pressing a million kisses to Steve's knuckles.

"Hmm. Someone is happy to see me," Steve chuckled. His voice was dry and horse from having been asleep for so long but Danny didn't care--it sounded like music to him. 

"Am I happy? Babe, of course I'm happy," Danny exhilarated, wrapping his arms around Steve's. "I thought I'd lost you for good."

"Nah. You know it would take a lot more than a fall off a cliff to take me from you," Steve smiled, delicately caressing Danny's face with his pointer-finger.

Danny closed his eyes and melted from Steve's touch. "I know," Danny frowned, faintly, restraining Steve's hand against his cheek.

Noticing Danny's sudden change in mood, Steve wrinkled his eyebrows. "You alright?" he asked, tenderly, slowly caressing Danny's hand with his thumb. After a moment of no response, Steve grew concerned. "Danny?" he said, tugging lightly on his hand.

"Hmm?" Danny jerked his head back to reality.

Steve grunted, adjusting himself on the bed, but kept a firm grip on Danny's hand. "Is there something bothering you?" he asked, settling back onto his pillow.

"I'm fine," Danny nodded, giving Steve a quick smirk. "I just missed you." He pressed a long kiss into the top of Steve's hand, then, smiled up at him.

Steve smiled back at Danny and gestured for him to climb onto the bed. Even though he was sure there was something Danny wasn't telling him, Steve was just happy to have Danny by his side and couldn't wait to get home for the Twins first Christmas.

*********

DECEMBER 25

After a few more days rest, Steve was discharged from the hospital, under the condition that he take it easy for the next few weeks. Steve assured the doctors he would but Danny knew the words "take it easy" weren't in Steve's vocabulary. So, from the minute the doctors gave Steve the okay to return home, he took it upon himself to make sure Steve would take it easy by never letting his partner out of his sight for a second.

Danny finally got to drive his own car, on the way home, and relentlessly asked Steve if he was feeling alright. When they arrived home, Steve tried to exit the car on his own but Danny would not let him. Instead, Danny helped Steve out of the car and escorted him into the house. And, anytime Steve tried to get up to get anything, Danny instead got it for him. Pillows and blankets, food and drinks, Danny refused to let Steve get up to get them on his own. Now, Steve didn't mind being pampered--in fact, having Danny cater to his every whim was kind of a turn on--but, his legs weren't broken, so, why was Danny being so overprotective? Steve was very capable of going to make a sandwich by himself, even if he had to do it one handed. He'd been through worse situations then this before--and knew that Danny knew that--so, after a while, the pampering became less of a turn-on and more of an annoyance. But, Steve was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when Danny fell asleep on the living room recliner. 

Not only was he relieved to have a moment of peace from Danny's coddling but he could now go use the bathroom, which he'd been waiting to do since they'd left the hospital. Steve rose from the couch, locking his eyes on Danny. He closed his eyes, bit his lip, and breathed quietly through the pain of his injuries, trying to stay as quite as possible as he crept his way through the living room to the downstairs bathroom. Steve opened his eyes and let out a relieved smile, when he saw the door to the bathroom, knowing he was almost home free. But, then, he heard Danny's scolding voice echo from the living room. "What do you think you're doing?" he called out, catching Steve red-handed. 

Steve froze, two feet from the bathroom door, and turned back to face Danny. "I didn't make any noise. What did you even hear?" 

"The floorboard creaked. Now, come on. If you need to go, let me help you," Danny replied, meeting up with Steve. He held out his arms and gestured for Steve to come closer. 

"I'm already here," Steve replied, gesturing towards the bathroom door. He winced, after jerking his broken ribs to fast, but recovered quickly with a light exhale. Then, he turned back to Danny and said, "Besides, I'm forty-years-old. I think I can do this one on my own, Danny." 

"Maybe so. But, the doctors told you to take it easy for the next few weeks, and I know you have no idea what those words mean, so I'm just doing my part as your husband to make sure you don't try to pull any crazy stunts for a while." 

Steve shook his head and squinted his eyes. "Seriously? It's just the bathroom, Danny." 

Danny looked up at Steve and raised his arms in defense. "Alright, fine," he sighed, crossing his arms, then, gesturing for Steve to go. "But, when you come out, I'm helping you back into the living room." Steve didn't want to be pampered anymore but the pain in his bladder--which was overpowering the pains coming from his actual injuries right now--told him that, if he even tried to argue with Danny one second longer, he was going to regret it. So, Steve just nodded and limped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. While he waited for Steve to finish, Danny leaned back against the wall and studied all the holiday decorations around him. Each one only made him imagine what the future would have been like had Steve not made it home and he could no longer find a reason to smile at them. He looked to the floor and tried not to throw up from nauseous feeling the holiday downers gave him. When he heard Steve open the bathroom door, Danny looked up to his partner and forced a smile. "Feel better?" 

Steve rolled his eyes and smirked. He knew Danny was only trying to help and, honestly, he'd probably be acting the same way if the roles were reversed. And, besides, using the bathroom did take more energy from him then he had expected, so a little pampering from Danny maybe wasn't so bad. Steve gestured for Danny and held out an arm for him. Danny smiled and swooped in, putting Steve's arm over his shoulder and helping him back into the living room. Steve swung around and fell back onto the couch. Danny tried to pull away, to go back to the recliner, but Steve locked onto Danny's fingers and pulled him onto the couch beside him. Danny plopped down, hesitantly, and sighed. "Come on, sit with me," Steve smiled, tugging lightly on Danny's hand. 

Danny shook his head and pulled away from Steve. "That's not a good idea, Steve." 

Steve reached out and grabbed Danny by his hips, with his non-injured arm, pulling him back to the couch. He sat Danny on his lap and looked into his eyes. "What is going on with you?" he chuckled. "You've been distant ever since we got home. Did I do something?" 

"No," Danny said, forcefully. He pulled away from Steve and stormed off towards the staircase. In a huff, he unraveled the garland from the railing and unplugged the lights from the landing. 

Steve watched him, curiously, for a moment, then, when Danny moved towards the kitchen and began to remove the stockings that were hung around the doorway, he called out to him. "What are you doing?" 

"I'm taking down all this junk," Danny replied, holding a few tacks between his teeth. 

Steve adjusted, slightly, on the couch. "But why? We haven't even gotten to celebrate yet. Besides, it's not even six yet. Lou and Renee aren't bringing the Twins home for another two hours and I'd like it to still look like Christmas when they open their presents."

"They're not going to," Danny replied, throwing the stockings onto the side table. He moved towards the tree and knelt down to unplug the lights from the wall. When he stood back up, he pulling the sting of lights off the tree, like a wild animal tearing at it's afternoon meal. "I asked them to keep the twins for the next week so you have time to recover without having to worry about them. So, since they wont be home, we don't need any of this junk anymore, which is why I'm taking it down," Danny rambled, throwing the tangled mess of lights to his feet. "I mean, I don't even know why we put it up in the first place. It was only a waste of space." 

Steve frowned. "But I thought you were finally getting excited for the holidays?"

"Me? Excited for what? Wasting money on useless gifts and decorations that will be forgotten about in three weeks? Of course not," Danny grumbled, tearing the tinsel from the tree. Then, he pulled a few ornaments off the branches of the tree. But, the more he removed, the angrier he grew and, eventually, gripped one ornament too hard. The trinket cracked in broke into multiple pieces, cutting open his right palm. "Ah, dammit," Danny winced, cradling his right hand in the the palm of his left hand. 

Steve jumped up from the couch and rushed to Danny's side. "Hey, you alright?" he asked, reaching out to inspect Danny's wound. 

Danny held his hand against his chest. "I'm fine," he nodded, pulling away from Steve.

"Danny?!" Steve scoffed, calling after his partner. Danny ignored him and disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Steve stood back, dumbfounded. He'd hadn't felt a punch like that since the first day they met and Danny socked him in the face. Though, that one hurt a lot less because, at least, there was a reason Danny had hit him that day. This one made Steve uncomfortable. He had no idea what had sparked this sudden switch in Danny's behavior but knew that he needed to confront Danny about it if they were ever going to move past this. So, after letting the dust settle for a moment, Steve made his way over to the bathroom and knocked on the door. With no answer from Danny, he, cautiously, peaking his head inside. "Danny? You alright, Babe?" he asked, gently, swinging the door open slowly.

At this point, Danny was sitting on the toilet and bandaging up his hand. He nodded in response to Steve. "I'll be fine," he replied, sorrily, unable to meet Steve's eyes. 

Steve could hear the buried pain in Danny's tone and knew that it was his turn to pamper. He sighed, softly, and stepped into the bathroom. He knelt down beside Danny and placed a nurturing hand on his thigh. "Danny, please talk to me," Steve begged, softly. 

Danny shook his head, fighting back tears. "It's my fault you got hurt," he said, quickly, rising from the toilet, disregarding Steve's attention again. Then, he exited the bathroom and fled back into the other room, not wanting Steve to see him cry. 

Steve's eyes widened. "Wait, what are you talking about?" he said, completely floored, chasing Danny into the living room. Steve watched Danny pace the room, suddenly realizing why he had been acting so strange. After a moment, and unable to watch Danny beat himself up anymore, Steve reached out and grabbed Danny by the wrist. Danny looked up to Steve with swollen eyes and biting on his nails. Steve wrinkled his eyebrows, sympathetically. "Why are you blaming yourself for what happened? It's not your fault," Steve wanted so bad to hug Danny, to tell him everything was okay, but seeing the apprehension in his partner's eyes he felt he better wait. 

"But it is my fault, Steven," Danny sassed, his voice finally breaking. "My mind was still spinning from her hitting me and I should never have taken the shot. But, I heard you struggling for air and trying to fight her off, I knew I had to do something, so I took the shot. And, it was because of me that she pulled you over the cliff and then you..." Danny stopped and turned away from Steve, feeling the tears break free from his eyes. 

Hearing Danny break down over believing he had been the one that hurt him broke Steve's heart because he knew that's not what had happened. Even if it had, he never would have held a grudge against Danny because he knew Danny would never hurt him on purpose. And, he, also, knew that he couldn't stand to see Danny hurting anymore. So, ignoring the screaming pain from his shoulder injuries as he ripped off his sling, Steve threw it aside and dove forward, wrapping his arms around Danny's waist, pulling him in close. Danny tried to fight off the hug but Steve tightened his grip and buried his face in Danny's shoulder. "Shhh...it's not your fault..." he tried comforting, pressing kisses into Danny's neck. "Selena had been completely resistant to our capture, that whole day, remember? She wanted to go over that cliff, whether that meant taking me with her or not. She just didn't want us to take her alive." 

"But I thought you said she was too proud for that?" Danny reminded, softly, finally relaxing into Steve's hug. 

"That was before she had me hanging over a cliff with her," Steve joked, resting his chin on the top of Danny's head. "She was going to do everything she could to avoid being captured. Even if that meant taking her own life. Me going over too would have only added to her satisfaction." He tightened his grip around Danny's waist and buried his face back into Danny's shoulder. "Please don't blame yourself," he whispered, giving a soft kiss to Danny's collarbone.

Danny turned and wrapped his arms around Steve's neck. "I'm sorry, I got so crazy, Steve," he sighed, sullenly. "I just couldn't get in the mood knowing you'd been hurt." 

"Danny..." Steve smirked, meeting his partner's eyes. "...I love you but there are other people who love you too and want to celebrate with you. So, just because I get hurt doesn't mean you have to stop turn back into a Grinch around the holidays. You're allowed to celebrate and be happy without me." 

"I could learn to celebrate things without you, and to maybe not even turn back into a Grinch around the holidays when something happens to you, but you know as well as I that no matter how much I learn to control myself, I'd never be happy without you, Steven," Danny assured, resting his head against Steve's chest. 

Steve squeezed Danny tighter. "I guess that's acceptable," he chuckled, softly, burying a kiss into Danny's hair.

"I'm really sorry I ruined our first Christmas as a family," Danny said, warmly, caressing the back of Steve's neck with his fingers. He looked up at Steve with puppy-dog eyes and frowned, "I guess I really can be quite a Grinch sometimes."

"Well, even the Grinch learned to love Christmas, so there's still time to fix you," Steve smiled, playfully. Then, before Danny could reply, Steve pressed a kiss to his waiting lips. 

***********************

DECEMBER 25 - 7:00 PM

After he was sure Danny had relaxed, Steve called Lou and Renee and told them to bring the Twins back over, like they had originally planned. But, before that happened, Danny and Steve worked to fix up the house before they arrived. And, even though Danny still felt a bit grumpy, and Steve was sore all over, they somehow managed to re-decorate the tree, hang the stockings on the wall behind it, wrap some garland around the railing of the staircase and stack the presents biggest-to-smallest under the tree. 

As they admired their new holiday set up from the doorway of the kitchen, Steve gestured for Danny to look up above their heads. Danny did and smiled, spotting the bit of mistletoe that Steve had, somehow, hung without him noticing. Steve smiled and wrapped an arm around Danny, dipping him for a passionate kiss under the mistletoe, just as Lou and Renee arrived with the Twins. 

*************

DECEMBER 25 - 9:00 PM

When the Twins came home, it was finally time to celebrate their first Christmas together as a family. While Steve stayed on the couch--too sore to move around too much from his injuries--Danny played Santa's Little Helper and gifted out the presents to the Twins, one-by-one. Bailey and Colton each tore at their wrapping paper, like wolves, excited to see what was inside. Within a few minutes, the present stack under the tree disappeared and turned into a stockpile of new toys, coloring books, clothes, and reading books. Danny and Steve fell deeper in love with their two little red-heads, as they watched them study their new collection of toys. Colton decided on one of the new toy trucks, while Bailey held up the bag for an indoor play tent and asked, "Can we open dis, Danno?" 

Without hesitation, Danny agreed and set up the play tent for Bailey. "There you go, Muffin," he smiled, watching Bailey grow ecstatic over her new hideout. She grabbed one of her new dolls, then, climbed inside the tent to play.

Steve chuckled. "You've just won Best Dad of the Year," he joked, playfully, holding out his arm for Danny to come cuddle with him. 

Danny shrugged and sat on the couch beside Steve. "That's easy when their three. Winning it when their Grace's age is the miracle," he sighed, watching the Twins play while he cuddled into Steve's waiting arms. Steve chuckled and resting his cheek against Danny's head. "I remember when Grace would get excited about coloring books and plastic play tents." 

"That's funny because when I first met her she was already thinking about boys," Steve teased, nudging Danny, playfully. 

"Don't ever say that again," Danny sighed, closing his eyes, falling into Steve's embrace. Steve chuckled, softly, and pressed a kiss to the top of Danny's head. Then, rested his head against Danny's and watched the twins play. 

***********

DECEMBER 25 - 11:00 PM 

The credits of a sappy, cut-and-pasted Hallmark Christmas movie rolled along the TV. Danny had fallen asleep, cuddled against Steve on the couch, and the Twins had fallen asleep on the floor at their feet. Colton was passed out in the middle of the wrapping paper chaos, sucking his thumb. Bailey had fallen asleep with head outside the tent and her backside inside the tent. Steve chuckled seeing the silhouette of Bailey's butt stuck in the air, reflect back on the screen of the tent, accidentally waking up Danny. 

Danny rubbed the tired from his eyes. "What time is it?" he asked, groggily. 

"Almost midnight," Steve replied, shutting off the credits on TV. 

Danny let a massive stretch come over his whole body. "Should we get the babies upstairs?" he asked, yawning.

"Not just yet," Steve said, pulling away from Danny. He rose from the couch, disappeared into the dining room, and returned a few seconds later, carrying a secret present. He returned to the couch, cuddling back up to Danny, and handed him the gift. 

Danny looked to the golden box, curiously. "What, uh. What is this, Steven?" he asked, pointing to the box and outlining it's shape with his finger. "I thought we had said we were only doing gifts for the twins this year?" 

"Will you just take it?" Steve asked, with and urgent smile. 

Danny, slowly, took the box from Steve. There was a note taped to the top of the present that read: "DANNO xoxo" Danny smiled and pulled the note off the wrapping. He opened up the note and read what was inside: YOU'RE MY WORLD AND I WOULD NEVER BE HAPPY WITHOUT YOU EITHER. MERRY CHRISTMAS, DANNO. LOVE, STEVE. xoxo Danny smiled and set the note aside. He tore off the wrapping paper and opened one edge of the box underneath. Then, he reached inside the box and pulled out small, yellow-ish teddy bear that was dressed in tan cargo pants, a navy blue button up shirt, and army boots. There was also a small dog-tag that hung from the bears neck that read: 

TO, DANNO. LOVE, STEVE  
'WILLIAMS-McGARRETT FIRST CHRISTMAS.' 

"When and where did you get the time to make this?" Danny asked, admiring the gift he'd been given. 

"The gift shop at Kings does special requests for this kind of thing," Steve replied. "I was able to get him made before we left." 

"He's great," Danny smiled, throwing the box to his feet. "He looks just like you." 

"He does a lot more than that," Steve smiled. "Push his belly." Danny's heart raced, as he met eyes with the teddy bear. Part of him didn't want to know what sounds he made, for fear of having another breakdown. But, the other part of him was so curious that he just had to squeeze the belly. So he did. And, that's when the familiar rhythm of Steve's heartbeat echoed from the bears belly and warmed Danny's heart. When the beating stopped, he, quickly, pressed the button, again, and placed the bear against his ear. He closed his eyes, finding it easy to smile again. When the beating stopped again, Danny met Steve's eyes. Steve smiled at him. "Merry Christmas, Danny," he said, warmly. 

Danny pressed the bear's belly, starting the beating again, and rested his head against Steve's chest. When the beat of Steve's actual heartbeat fell in-sync with the recorded one, he felt his own heart grow three sizes. The twin heartbeats reassured him that Steve had come home, was alive, and was right there with him. 

This may not have been the picture-perfect holiday he had hoped for, or even come close. But, even though he still had his doubts about their importance, Danny realized that maybe there was more to the holidays then he first thought. And, while he was comforted by the warm embrace of his best friend--and whole world--he realized that maybe the holidays wouldn't be so bad after all. 

~*~

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know McDanno deserves at least ONE adventure without one of them ending up in the hospital...
> 
> ...That story is on the way. Keep checking back for updates! 
> 
> (Also, any and all feedback you could give me on this one would be much appreciated.)


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